Mysterious package of family photos delivered to Telegram

You don't know me, and I don't know you. I don't know where you live, or anything at all about you. But I have something valuable that belongs to you.

It came in the mail the other day, in a pink envelope addressed to me, with no return address. Inside was a package that included a form letter from the U.S. Postal Service:

"I want to extend my sincere apology as your Postmaster for the enclosed document that was inadvertently damaged in handling by your Postal Service," it reads. "We are aware how important your mail is to you. With that in mind, we are forwarding it to you in an expeditious fashion... While each employee makes a concerted effort to process, without damage, each piece of mail, an occasional mishap does happen."

Also inside was a note to me from a woman named Suzanne, who apparently was the recipient of the package meant for you, for reasons that are unclear. Suzanne forwarded the package to me in the hopes that I could find you.

"This was not meant for me," Suzanne wrote. "It was a beautiful letter that I'm sure would be most appreciated, and I'm sure those old photographs are priceless."

The package is from a couple named Michelle and Paul. They sent you a lovely Christmas card and Michelle wrote you a letter. They also sent a batch of old black-and-white photographs, many more than 60 years old. It appears that Michelle may possibly be related to you.

"I was going through the family album and some of dad's things, and found a lot of photos of the family," Michelle wrote. "I have enclosed some of them for you to keep ... I hope in some way they make this holiday a little happier for you, Martine, as I know you miss your dad, as I do mine. I related to the others that at midnight on Christmas Eve our family gathers to play 'Silent Night' on hand bells in remembrance of those who are not with us. I will be ringing my bell for you and your family, and your dad. I hope this coming year brings you all that makes your heart content."

Martine and Steve, I'm betting that these photographs are indeed priceless. There's more than 30 of them; most have scalloped edges and are yellow with age. Some appear to have been taken in France or Canada. They show a young girl at her First Communion, a family at the beach, gathered in front of a Christmas tree and seated around the holiday table. They show children with parents, and grandparents cradling grandchildren. They show moments frozen in time that can never be recaptured.

Some of the pictures have dates from the 1940s and 1950s on the back, along with names and notations in French. One of the photographs from 1958 shows a father and three children posed in front of the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. Many of the pictures show three generations of what appears to be a close, loving family.

Suzanne, the unintended recipient who sent me the package, said she received it in a torn envelope addressed to her from a friend named Mary. I have no idea what that means, and Suzanne didn't include her last name or a return address. To add to the mystery, no last names of the senders or recipients are included.

"I am hopeful that in the spirit of the holidays you can help find the rightful owner, or at least the sender, so they will know they were not received," Suzanne wrote to me.

I'm hopeful, too. Martine and Steve, wherever you are, I have some pieces of your past that I'm betting you'd love to receive. Please send me an email. Thank you, and happy holidays.